Ministry of Home Affairs Issues Nine-Point Directive to Implement One-Window Service System in All District Administration Offices

April 18, Kathmandu—The Ministry of Home Affairs has issued a nine-point directive mandating the implementation of a ‘one-window service system’ across district and regional administration offices nationwide to enhance service delivery and make it more citizen-friendly. The ministry has instructed all administration offices to establish the system within the current fiscal year’s budget and to ensure the allocation of the minimum required budget for the following year. It has also reminded the Chief District Officers (CDOs), appointed as government representatives, of their critical role in maintaining peace and security, safeguarding public welfare, and promoting public service and good governance.

Home Minister Sudhan Gurung had directed that services provided by administration offices should be arranged to operate through the one-window system starting from the day he assumed office. Furthermore, the ‘100 Government Reform Agenda’ approved by the Cabinet on March 26 (Chaitra 13) emphasizes working in a way that builds citizens’ trust in public services. In line with this directive, the ministry, through a decision at the secretary level, has ordered the institutionalization and immediate implementation of innovative practices already adopted in some districts—such as token systems, citizen hearings, online recommendations, and free help desks—under the one-window service system across all districts.

The nine-point directive from the Ministry of Home Affairs is as follows: 1. One-Window Service and Infrastructure Management—Establish counters that facilitate smooth and user-friendly processing of new and duplicate citizenship certificates, passports, national identity cards, and minor identity documents. 2. Help Desk and Token System—Set up computerized help desks at office entry points. 3. Citizen Notice and Coordination—Maintain digital and audio-equipped citizen notice boards. 4. Complaint and Grievance Management—Keep records of complaints and resolve them promptly and actively. 5. Decent Conduct and Cleanliness—Ensure staff behave respectfully and courteously toward service recipients. 6. Strict Control of Middlemen—Exercise strict supervision to prevent unauthorized middlemen from entering the office. 7. Implementation of Job Descriptions—Prepare and apply objective, performance-based job descriptions for every position within the administration office within 15 days. 8. Training and Orientation for Staff—Provide orientation and training for ward office staff regarding recommendations and related tasks. 9. Monitoring, Transparency, and Reporting—Empower CDOs to continuously monitor service performance.